more thoughts

[FlSnookman7]

Something a pastor once said to me years ago has stayed with me and I think about it often. I had asked him if God did not want adam and eve eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, why did He put it in the garden? I mean, He could've put it in Nebraska. My pastor smiled and said it was so we could be having this conversation.

God knows now and has always known just what I need. He knew what the cost would be yet He loves ME so much He allowed it to unfold just as it did. If that sounds egotistical it really isn't. He loves YOU that much too! God is everywhere all the time. My simple mind can not truly comprehend His ways but I am so grateful and humbled when I think that I am and have always been part of his plan.

I need to remember that my walk is not everyone else's walk. I must keep in mind that God is using me now to further His plans. Even typing that makes me smile in awe. What a great thing it is to be of use to God. I still feel called to ministry, I often think I am not doing nearly enough, but if I take advantage of the opportunities God puts in front of me then He will place me where He decides no matter my situation.

I seem to forget that I am to rest in the Lord and trust in Him.


Psalms 37:3-7
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

 

[BenFTW]

I think of all the wickedness in the world that has happened throughout history, and how this evil is unsightly to God, unpleasant and distasteful and yet He endures it for the sake of those who will be called His children. The stresses of life, the beauty, the horror, and all of it existing simply because God is reconciling us to Himself. Was it the only way? In His sovereignty and wisdom it seems so. He is patient, long-suffering, and merciful. He endures and puts up with it all to carry out His plan of redemption.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Something a pastor once said to me years ago has stayed with me and I think about it often. I had asked him if God did not want adam and eve eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, why did He put it in the garden? I mean, He could've put it in Nebraska. My pastor smiled and said it was so we could be having this conversation.

That is good as far as it goes, but it does not actually address your question. However, once we understand that man was made in the image of God and given a free will, it was a Divine necessity TO TEST the faith and obedience of all human beings. Hence the two special trees in Eden.

And they were actual trees with actual fruit (but definitely not apples, since an apple a day keeps the doctor away!)

But that would ensure whether they loved God above themselves or not. So Adam and Eve failed that test, and now we have the mess that we are in. However, God already knew about this mess, so He planned to use it for His glory. Thus we have the Gospel and God's eternal plan for the Church and for Israel on earth. Ephesians chapter one gives a tremendous insight into this plan.

 

[pottersclay]

Imo the Lord had the tree in the garden in full view because he has nothing to hide. Their is such a tree but it's not good that you should eat of it.
Now the scriptures tell us that there are secrets of the Lord that will remain unknown, perhaps they are above our comprehension.
That's why he is the holy one and who are we to counsel him.
That tree of good and evil opened up a pandoras box that could never be closed by anyone save one the Lord. And by doing so showed not only his love for us but his power and strength, wisdom and grace, so it might be right to assume that Satan's plan to sub do God by holding his children ramsom backfired. As God himself​ would pay the price.

 

[dcontroversal]

I believe it was so all spirits in God's kingdom could be tested and choose which Kingdom to follow....either the fallen kingdom of Satan or the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ....even Jesus had to be robed in flesh and choose!

 

[Depleted]

Something a pastor once said to me years ago has stayed with me and I think about it often. I had asked him if God did not want adam and eve eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, why did He put it in the garden? I mean, He could've put it in Nebraska. My pastor smiled and said it was so we could be having this conversation.

God knows now and has always known just what I need. He knew what the cost would be yet He loves ME so much He allowed it to unfold just as it did. If that sounds egotistical it really isn't. He loves YOU that much too! God is everywhere all the time. My simple mind can not truly comprehend His ways but I am so grateful and humbled when I think that I am and have always been part of his plan.

I need to remember that my walk is not everyone else's walk. I must keep in mind that God is using me now to further His plans. Even typing that makes me smile in awe. What a great thing it is to be of use to God. I still feel called to ministry, I often think I am not doing nearly enough, but if I take advantage of the opportunities God puts in front of me then He will place me where He decides no matter my situation.

I seem to forget that I am to rest in the Lord and trust in Him.


Psalms 37:3-7
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

One of my odder thoughts, (and that's saying a lot. lol) How do you know Eden wasn't in Nebraska? After all, no telling how far Man moved away from Eden by the time Noah came along, and then Noah et. al. spent 7 months floating around the world. Nothing saying where the Garden used to be anymore.

And one of the reason I think God left them the tree, (along with your understanding that everything happened by God to bring his peeps to him), was to go down the list -- one by one -- of every possible excuse we could throw at him, with an answer before even asked.

For instance, for those who would say, "The Law is too complicated. There's no way we could do all that at once." Adam and Eve are proof we couldn't even follow just one law.

Cain is proof we knew the law even before it was written.

The Tower of Babel is proof what Man would do apart from God.

The flood was proof killing all the bad people doesn't stop us from being bad people.

One by one, the OT answers every single possible objection we have that comes down to "I don't think God is fair because...", and after all scenarios played out, the Lord gave the one sacrifice that solved all the objections -- Jesus' death on that cross.

Just weird stuff I think.

 

[FlSnookman7]

One of my odder thoughts, (and that's saying a lot. lol) How do you know Eden wasn't in Nebraska? After all, no telling how far Man moved away from Eden by the time Noah came along, and then Noah et. al. spent 7 months floating around the world. Nothing saying where the Garden used to be anymore.

And one of the reason I think God left them the tree, (along with your understanding that everything happened by God to bring his peeps to him), was to go down the list -- one by one -- of every possible excuse we could throw at him, with an answer before even asked.

For instance, for those who would say, "The Law is too complicated. There's no way we could do all that at once." Adam and Eve are proof we couldn't even follow just one law.

Cain is proof we knew the law even before it was written.

The Tower of Babel is proof what Man would do apart from God.

The flood was proof killing all the bad people doesn't stop us from being bad people.

One by one, the OT answers every single possible objection we have that comes down to "I don't think God is fair because...", and after all scenarios played out, the Lord gave the one sacrifice that solved all the objections -- Jesus' death on that cross.

Just weird stuff I think.

Never thought of it that way, thank you.

 

[Nehemiah6]

One of my odder thoughts, (and that's saying a lot. lol) How do you know Eden wasn't in Nebraska?

Because God clearly told us it was in Iraq. The four rivers which were mentioned in this connection were in Iraq (formerly Babylonia).

 

[Mem]

I almost forgot about this thought which I put off responding to because I've been thinking of it, but the answer seems, even if only barely, just out of reach. Even so, maybe taking aim at it will help me better judge the bullseye. After God created everything, He said it was very good. However, what He didn't say was, "It is perfect." And, since that is his plan, He wanted to draw out the imperfection, having a sort of plan of inoculation, for all His children.